Various communications protocols are known in the art. For example, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) has been working towards developing a number of protocols for use with a wireless communication path. At present, 3GPP/3GPP2 work is progressing on evolution technologies. Two examples in 3GPP include Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (E-MBMS).
Currently, OFDMA/DFT S-OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access/Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is a strong candidate for 3GPP/3GPP2 Evolution DL/UL (downlink/uplink) technologies. Utilizing OFDM throughout a system enables the use of a configuration like Single Frequency Network (SFN), which can provide high cell edge coverage for E-MBMS with a spectral efficiency greater than one. With multi-site macro-diversity, E-MBMS throughput can be 6-8 times that of Rel-6 MBMS. However, in a hotspot or in a cellular system without multi-site macro-diversity, E-MBMS throughput may only be comparable to that of Rel-6 MBMS. In addition, the optimal data rate can vary as a function of system load/configuration and remote unit distribution.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that was able to provide improved E-MBMS performance, particularly for sessions that include users without multi-site macro-diversity.
Specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed below with reference to FIGS. 1-6. Both the description and the illustrations have been drafted with the intent to enhance understanding. For example, the dimensions of some of the figure elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements, and well-known elements that are beneficial or even necessary to a commercially successful implementation may not be depicted so that a less obstructed and a more clear presentation of embodiments may be achieved. In addition, unless specifically indicated, the order and grouping of signaling is not a limitation of other embodiments that may lie within the scope of the claims.
Simplicity and clarity in both illustration and description are sought to effectively enable a person of skill in the art to make, use, and best practice the present invention in view of what is already known in the art. One of skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made to the specific embodiments described below without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative and exemplary rather than restrictive or all-encompassing, and all such modifications to the specific embodiments described below are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.